Hunton & Williams brings commercial litigation team on board

Sean Pavone

Boston, Massachusetts

Hunton & Williams is opening in Boston with a 14-strong lawyer commercial litigation team from a rival law firm

Hunton & Williams has poached 14 lawyers from national litigation boutique Manion Gaynor & Manning. The group will launch a Boston office for Hunton & Williams which, four weeks ago, announced its partners’ vote to approve a combination with Andrews Kurth Kenyon. Harry Manion will join the new firm after leaving the national litigation boutique he co-founded in 1984. The head of his commercial litigation practice, Martin Gaynor, will also join the new operation, serving as managing partner of the office. Former Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly is also leaving Manion Gaynor & Manning with two other partners, three senior counsel and six associates. The new office will open on 2 April.

Complex and challenging trials

'I have known Harry for more two decades, and he is an excellent trial lawyer. He has been first chair in some of the most complex and challenging trials in the country and represented some of the top companies, business leaders, athletes and teams in New England and nationally. He has built an extraordinary team of litigators, and we are thrilled to welcome them to our firm,' Hunton & Williams’ Managing Partner Wally Martinez said. 'In addition, the opportunity to enter the Boston market greatly expands the reach and depth of our national commercial litigation and trial practice, and the timing coincides with our national expansion and combination with Andrews Kurth Kenyon,' Mr Martinez added.

World-class clients

'We’ve worked with Hunton & Williams’ lawyers for more than 20 years, referring one another cases and sharing world-class clients such as Koch Industries and Sodexo. Hunton’s recently announced merger with Andrews Kurth, a firm we know and respect, was icing on the cake. We look forward to joining a firm that is engaged in some of the most hotly contested litigation in the country,' Mr Manion said.